Alcatel on touch pop 4. Alcatel smartphones Alcatel

Eldest among the youngest

The Alcatel Pop 4S smartphone is now considered the flagship of its line, but the Pop line itself is positioned as budget and affordable, while the Idol line is premium for TCL/Alcatel. As a result, Alcatel Pop 4S turned out to be far from the cheapest of the manufacturer’s smartphones, and what it can offer its owner and whether it makes sense to pay attention to this model, you will learn from our review.

Main characteristics of Alcatel Pop 4S (5095K)

  • SoC MediaTek Helio P10 (MT6755M), 8 cores ARM Cortex-A53: [email protected] GHz and 4@1 GHz
  • GPU ARM Mali-T860 MP2 @550 MHz
  • operating room Android system 6.0
  • Touch display IPS 5.5″, 1920×1080, 401 ppi
  • Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, inner memory 16 GB
  • Support Micro-SIM (1 pc.), Nano-SIM (1 pc.)
  • MicroSD support up to 64 GB
  • GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
  • WCDMA/HSPA+ networks (850/900/1900/2100 MHz)
  • LTE Cat.4 FDD Band 3, 7, 8, 20 networks
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct
  • Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
  • GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
  • USB 2.0, OTG
  • Camera 13 MP, autofocus, f/2.4, video 1080p
  • Front camera 5 MP, f/2.0, fixed. focus, flash
  • Proximity sensor, lighting, magnetic field, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope
  • Battery 2960 mAh, non-removable
  • Dimensions 152×77×8 mm
  • Weight 153 g

Appearance and ease of use

Alcatel Pop 4S has a rather simple design; a device for 16 thousand rubles could, frankly speaking, look more expensive. The first thing that comes to mind is the faceless black plastic smartphones of Chinese OEM manufacturers from three to four years ago. The device looks inexpressive and cheap. Perhaps this is due to the dull matte black color and thin silver side bezel, glittering with chrome.

Most of the body is formed by a cover made of thin and flexible plastic. The lid completely covers the entire frame of the case, the side buttons are attached directly to it. The lid is matte, with a polished effect, but fingerprints still remain clearly visible on its surface.

The size of the smartphone is typical of large 5.5-inch devices; its outline and dimensions cannot be called elegant. The side edges have clearly defined straight ends, the sides are slightly narrowed due to the sloping edges of the back cover. The ends are surrounded by a thin and shiny chrome rim, but there is no real metal here, and this rim does not separate the parts of the body, but is simply applied to the plastic casing. There is a suspicion that these shiny strips will peel off pretty quickly.

The cover can be easily removed with your fingers; there is a special recess for engagement. Inside there are two separate slots for Micro-SIM and Nano-SIM cards and one slot for a microSD memory card up to 128 GB. The memory card can be mounted so that applications can be installed on it; this requires formatting and loss of previous data. The battery, despite the removable case cover, cannot be replaced independently.

Camera module on back wall The smartphone protrudes beyond the surface of the case, causing the device lying on a hard surface to sway when you touch the screen. The flash consists of two multi-colored LEDs, it is quite bright and can be used as a flashlight.

The main speaker is installed right there on the back of the case, that is, the sound is directed in the opposite direction from the user, which is not the best option. In addition, the sound of a lying smartphone is muffled by the surface of the table.

The front panel of the Alcatel Pop 4S is covered with a flat clear glass without fashionable sloping edges and tinting. Below the screen there is a mechanical hardware key with a fingerprint scanner embedded in it. The scanner is quite sensitive; there are no complaints about its response time or recognition quality. You can bring your finger to the sensor at any angle. The button under the scanner platform is mechanical; it performs the function of returning to home screen. The other two buttons, located on either side of it, are touch-sensitive and have a white backlight.

In addition to the sensors, in the upper part above the screen there was also such a useful element as led indicator events. The diode, however, is very small, barely noticeable; it shines as a dim, small, milky dot in the left corner, notifying you about the charging status and incoming messages. There is also a window for its own front-facing flash for the selfie camera.

The side buttons are swapped: most modern smartphones have the power key on the right side closer to the middle, and the rocker or volume keys are located above it. Here everything is the other way around, so when switching from other smartphones, confusion arises. The volume usually has to be adjusted much less often than using the lock key, but its rocker is located here under the thumb of the right hand, so the volume button is pressed more often, sometimes unintentionally, and you have to reach for the unlock button every time. However, using the fingerprint sensor to unlock the smartphone and the screen blanking function double tap, on the one hand, and the use of volume buttons for turning pages in the browser and e-reader, on the other hand, can significantly change the nature of the user’s interaction with the device and his preferences in the location of the buttons.

The Micro-USB connector was installed not in the middle of the bottom end, but closer to the edge. It supports connecting flash drives and other devices in USB OTG mode. On the other edge you can find the hole for the speaking microphone.

The hole for the second, auxiliary microphone is located on the opposite end; the smartphone is equipped with a noise reduction system, for which this additional microphone is used. The 3.5 mm headphone jack is embedded here, in the top end.

As for colors, in Russian stores the model is most often found in black, the most nondescript version, but in general there are brighter colors of Alcatel Pop 4S in nature.

Screen

Alcatel Pop 4S is equipped with touch display IPS flat protective glass without sides or sloping edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are 68x121 mm, diagonal - 5.5 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels, pixel density is approximately 401 ppi. The width of the frame around the screen on the sides is about 4 mm, in this regard the smartphone looks simple and does not set any “frameless” records.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually or automatically adjusted based on the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 5 simultaneous multi-touch presses. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is adequately blocked using the proximity sensor. The functions of turning the display on and off by tapping on the glass constitute the only set of gestures that the hero of the review can use. These features are manually enabled in the corresponding settings menu.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Alcatel Pop 4S, then they can be distinguished by size):

The Alcatel Pop 4S's screen is just as dark. The ghosting of reflected objects in the Alcatel Pop 4S screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen, there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating, which is slightly better in efficiency than that of the Nexus 7. Therefore, fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When manually controlling brightness and when displaying a white field in full screen maximum value brightness was about 400 cd/m², the minimum was 15 cd/m². The maximum brightness is low, but given the good anti-glare properties, something on the screen will be visible even on a sunny day outdoors, but only if the image is on average bright - see below. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the brightness adjustment position. In complete darkness, if the slider is at 100%, then the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 70 cd/m² (too much), if the adjustment is about 50%, then - 15 cd/m² (normal), and if at 0%, then - 3 cd/m² (a bit dark). Whereas in an artificially lit office (about 550 lux) and in a very bright environment (corresponding to the lighting of a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more), the brightness increases to 400 cd/m², regardless of the brightness slider setting . It turns out that the auto-brightness function does not work adequately. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.

IN this smartphone matrix is ​​used IPS type. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

However, the subpixels themselves are arranged in an unconventional way - in the horizontal direction (in landscape orientation) there are typical columns, but in each column the subpixel triads are shifted by one subpixel vertically, first up and then down.

Note that we have already seen a similar arrangement of subpixels in the case of HTC 10 and a number of other smartphones. As a result, the ratio of horizontal columns to vertical triads is 3 to 2, that is, the actual vertical resolution is 1/3 less than horizontal (hereinafter we mean landscape screen orientation). That is, there are actually only 1920 by 720 dots (RGB triads) on the screen, and not 1920 by 1080. The resolution is high in any case, and these matrix features practically do not appear in any way when viewing text, photographs and videos, but test worlds are displayed with visible artifacts.

The screen has good viewing angles without a significant color shift even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting (except for the very darkest when deviating along one diagonal) shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which identical images are displayed on the screens of Alcatel Pop 4S and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² over a white field in the entire screen, and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. Perpendicular white field to the screens:

We note some unevenness in the brightness and color tone of the white field, which exceeds the average level.

And a test picture:

The Alcatel Pop 4S's screen is dark, and the color balance between the two screens is clearly not the same.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, but on the Alcatel Pop 4S the contrast decreased to a greater extent due to the strong brightening of blacks, and it also began to show signs of inverting dark shades.

And a white field:

The brightness of the screens at an angle has decreased (by at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but the Alcatel Pop 4S screen is still a little brighter. When deviated diagonally, the black field is brightened greatly, but remains approximately neutral gray. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same, for which I had to move the brightness adjustment slider to maximum, and still it turned out to be only 190 cd/m² in the white area!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1500:1. The black-white-black response time is 27 ms (13.5 ms on + 13.5 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 38 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 4.19, but in this case it does not matter, since the real gamma curve is not at all similar to the power dependence:

This device has a very aggressive dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness depending on the nature of the displayed image and the time at which this image is displayed. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - (however, as always) when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. In general, such non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since permanent shift screen brightness can at least cause some discomfort, greatly reduce the visibility of gradations in shadows in the case of dark images and the readability of the screen in bright light, since in images that are not the lightest on average, the brightness of the backlight is greatly underestimated, and there is not an excess of it anyway.

The color gamut is slightly different from sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

However, the deviations of the coordinates of the primary colors from the vertices of the sRGB triangle are small, so visually the colors on this screen practically do not differ from natural ones. The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is higher than the standard 6500 K and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is more than 10, which is not considered a very good indicator even for a consumer device. However, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This device has a fairly advanced system of profiles and settings, which provides the ability to adjust color balance, etc. It’s called MiraVision.

The curves in the graphs above Without corr. correspond to the results without any color balance correction, and the curves Warm- data obtained after shifting the color temperature correction slider to the extreme “warm” position, as in the picture below.

It can be seen that the change in balance corresponds to the expected result, since the color temperature approached the standard value, although ΔE also increased significantly. It doesn't make much sense to make a correction.

To summarize: the screen has a low maximum brightness, but has good anti-glare properties, so the device can somehow be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day, but you should expect a strong decrease in legibility when displaying images that are dim on average. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. The mode with automatic brightness adjustment does not work adequately, it is better not to use it. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of air gaps in the layers of the screen and flickering, as well as high contrast and good uniformity of the black field. The disadvantages are low black stability to deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane, poor color balance, as well as non-disabled dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness. Even taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the quality of the screen cannot be considered high.

Sound

Alcatel Pop 4S cannot offer anything special in terms of sound. There is a proprietary Mix player with emulation of a DJ console: you can synchronize tracks, do mixing, and add audio effects. But it feels more like instant entertainment than a serious application for creating real music, and the sound of the smartphone's speakers is rather modest. The sound is without a noticeable presence of low frequencies, rather monotonous, not bright and not too loud. In headphones the situation does not improve noticeably; the sound is the same faded and monotonous, with a predominance high frequencies and not entirely clean.

To the speaker and microphone special claims no: the sound of the voice of a familiar interlocutor is a little muffled, but quite intelligible. Interlocutors on the other side also do not note any noticeable problems with sound during telephone conversations. The microphone sensitivity is enough for voice recordings, but the noise reduction system cannot cope with its responsibilities. During playback of the resulting recordings, background noise is clearly audible, this spoils the whole picture. FM radio is included as standard with the smartphone.

Camera

Alcatel Pop 4S is equipped with two modules digital cameras with a resolution of 13 and 5 megapixels. The front module has a 5-megapixel sensor and f/2.4 aperture optics with a fixed focus and its own front-facing flash. The shooting quality turned out to be quite mediocre even by the standards of a selfie camera. There are serious complaints about sharpness, detail, and especially color rendition and automatic white balance.

The main camera has a 13-megapixel sensor and an f/2.0 aperture lens. Autofocus is quite fast, the dual flash is bright, and there is an electronic stabilization function for photo and video shooting.

Alcatel did not add its own menu for controlling the camera; the menu here is standard for systems on the MediaTek platform, it is simple in appearance, but it has everything you need. You can manually adjust and set exposure, ISO (up to 1600), white balance, brightness, contrast, you can select additional modes like night, sports or even PIP and QR code. You cannot transfer control of camera settings to third-party applications using the Camera2 API, and there is also no possibility of recording in RAW.

The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of 1080p; there are no 4K or 60 fps modes. Electronic stabilization is present and really makes shooting on the go smoother. But that’s where the positives end: the camera’s overall handling of video shooting is average, detail is quite low, the picture is faded, blurry, not rich, and the colors are not natural. Sensitive microphones record sound well, but the noise reduction system does not cut out noise well, and the sound remains littered and noisy.

  • Video No. 1 (52 MB, 1920×1080@30 fps, H.264, AAC)

The text is not very well done, but it is readable.

The camera copes with macro photography.

The foliage begins to merge in the foreground.

A small area of ​​sharpness in the foreground below.

From time to time, the camera somehow works on long-range plans.

The entire right half of the frame is out of focus.

The entire frame is out of focus.
Alcatel Pop 4S Apple iPhone 6s Plus

From the first frames it is clear that the camera can only be used to shoot text. She had no luck with the program, and even more luck with the optics. Perhaps this is due to the skew of the lens, which may explain the sharp zones that periodically appear in the photographs. But most of the time, the camera can barely focus. So the verdict is quite obvious: just shooting the text, and then double-checking the results.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for LTE FDD Cat.4 networks, that is maximum speed download is limited to 150 Mbit/s. The device has no problems with Russian frequencies; it can operate in all three 4G bands supported by domestic operators (LTE Cat.4 FDD Band 3, 7, 8, 20).

In practice, in the Moscow region, the smartphone registered and worked in 4G networks without problems, and the connection speed via LTE was generally fine. The quality of signal reception does not cause any particular complaints; the device supports communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception.

The rest of the network capabilities also do not cause any complaints: the smartphone works in both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), there is Wi-Fi Direct, you can organize wireless point access via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 4.1 channels, and even supports NFC. The Micro-USB 2.0 connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode.

The navigation module works with both GPS (with A-GPS) and the domestic Glonass. There are no complaints about the operation of the navigation module; the first satellites during a cold start are detected within the first tens of seconds with minimal error. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the digital compass of navigation programs usually operates.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing telephone number a search is carried out immediately using the first letters in contacts/. The standard keyboard is quite modest (for example, it does not have support for stroke input), but the device already has an alternative SwiftKey keyboard pre-installed as an additional one, you can use it, it has wider possibilities.

The smartphone supports dual SIM cards. Standard interface allows you to select a specific card for each function in advance or directly during the connection. Work with two SIM cards is organized according to the familiar Dual standard SIM Dual Standby, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but cannot work at the same time - there is only one radio module.

OS and software

Alcatel Pop 4S uses a software platform as a system Google Android 6.0. There is no full-fledged alternative interface here, but there is a custom launcher that modifies the application menu, adds limited support for gestures and several widgets.

As for additional programs, there are a lot of them. This mainly applies to pre-installed games, and there are also some that would otherwise be purchased for money. For example, through its own application center you can play Minecraft completely free of charge. Any applications can be installed on a microSD memory card. Otherwise, the interface remains familiar, because in general there are practically no differences from the original Android OS version 6.

Performance

The Alcatel Pop 4S hardware platform is based on the MediaTek MT6755M SoC, also known as Helio P10. The Helio P10 configuration includes a 64-bit octa-core True8Core processor on ARM architecture Cortex-A53 running at 2 GHz and ARM Mali-T860 GPU running at 700 MHz. True, in this version of the MT6755M the maximum frequency of four processor cores is reduced to 1.8 GHz, and the other four to 1.0 GHz, while the graphics processor operates at a frequency of 550 MHz.

The RAM capacity of the younger modification of the smartphone is 2 GB, the built-in flash memory is 16 GB, of which about 10.3 GB are initially available to the user for his needs. This volume can be increased using microSD cards. It is also possible to connect to USB port external flash drives in OTG mode. MicroSD cards are supported up to 128GB in capacity, and in practice our review Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 128GB card was successfully recognized by the device. Installing applications onto a memory card is supported; to do this, it must be formatted and all previous data will be lost. You can use the card in normal storage mode, but then you won't be able to install applications on it.

Judging by the comparison table with test data from other current mobile platforms, it is possible to repeat what was already known from previous tests. SoC MediaTek MT6755 (Helio P10) is far from top-end, but confidently average. It does not give high numbers in benchmarks, but it copes well with any tasks, including demanding games. Although, of course, the games are not going well maximum settings and fps values: even in World of Tanks, the figures average 40-45 fps with a maximum possible 60 fps and higher. In more demanding games, short stutters sometimes occur, but overall this does not affect comfort. Such a platform does not have a noticeable performance reserve for the future.

Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench:

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that at one time they passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Alcatel Pop 4S
(MediaTek Helio P10)		 Huawei Nova Plus
(Qualcomm Snapdragon 625)		 Micromax Canvas Q465
(Spreadtrum SC9832)		 Leagoo M5
(MediaTek MT6580)		 Doogee T6 Pro
(MediaTek MT6753)
3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot
(more is better)		 414 463 — — 198
GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (Onscreen) 5 fps 7 — — 7
GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (1080p Offscreen) 5 fps 6 — — 3
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (Onscreen) 17 fps 23 7 8 19
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen) 17 fps 23 4 4 12

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Thermal photographs

Below is a thermal image rear surface obtained after 10 minutes of battery testing in the GFXBenchmark program:

It can be seen that the heating is highly localized on the right side of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 42 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees). Such heating cannot be called insignificant.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since processing modern options due to processor cores alone, it is most often impossible. Also, don't expect mobile device decoding everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.

According to the testing results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network, in this case, audio files. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.

Format Container, video, sound MX Video Player Standard video player
BDRip 720p MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AAC plays normally plays normally
BDRip 720p MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AC3 The video plays fine, there is no sound
BDRip 1080p MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AAC plays normally plays normally
BDRip 1080p MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AC3 The video plays fine, there is no sound The video plays fine, there is no sound

Further testing of video playback was performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 720/24p

Fine No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames - with the exception of files with 60 fps, in in which case about 3-4 frames per second are missed, and often in pairs in a row. The reason is the atypically low screen refresh rate of 56-57 Hz. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, conditionally in the original resolution. (Conventionally, since this screen does not have a physical resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels - see above. In particular, artifacts appear on the test worlds: instead of horizontal (in landscape screen orientation) stripes, some kind of color pattern is displayed through the pixel.) Displayed on The brightness range on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: in the shadows, only a couple of shades merge with black, and in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

The non-removable battery installed in the Alcatel Pop 4S has a capacity of 2960 mAh. The battery seems to be quite good, but smartphones on power-hungry MediaTek platforms have never been known for their longevity, and the hero of the review, unfortunately, was no exception. Here, in terms of autonomy, everything is at an average level: not a failure, but Alcatel Pop 4S is very, very far from the level of leaders in this regard. With such a battery, autonomy could be higher. The smartphone lasts until evening charging, but you shouldn’t hope for longer use.

Testing has traditionally been carried out at the usual level of power consumption, while the smartphone also has a standard power saving mode.

Continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) with auto-scrolling lasted until the battery was completely discharged for about 11 hours, while continuously watching videos in high quality(720p) with the same brightness level via home Wi-Fi network The smartphone works no longer than 8.5 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone lasted only 3.5 hours.

The smartphone is charged from a standard charger within 2.5 hours with a current of 1 A at a voltage of 5 V. Wireless charging the device does not support.

Bottom line

As for the price, at the moment Alcatel Pop 4S can be ordered in Alcatel’s own online store at a price of 16 thousand rubles, and the device is certainly not worth that kind of money. This is a completely ordinary, unprepossessing in appearance and lacking stars from heaven, an overpriced middling product that has a huge number of competitors in an extremely oversaturated segment. The smartphone could surprise little even at a lower price: the screen here is of low quality, and this is one of the main characteristics modern smartphone. Many competitors can offer better sound, shooting quality, battery life and even appearance for less money. The obvious advantages of Alcatel Pop 4S include support for all Russian LTE frequencies, the presence of a fingerprint sensor and NFC support. Realizing this, many sellers are reducing the price of this device: now you can find retail offers for 12-13 thousand rubles, although even at this price Alcatel Pop 4S sales are unlikely to be significant.

Alcatel POP 2 5042D, which we will talk about today, is a continuation of the line called One Touch. This Chinese device is sold locally Russian Federation for only five thousand rubles.

Briefly about technical characteristics

Later we will talk about the parameters of the Alcatel POP 2 5042D in more detail, but now we will look at the fundamental points. You could say the cornerstones on which this device is based. So, for a price of 5 thousand rubles, we do not get the newest software shell (“Android” 4.4), not the largest amount of RAM (1 GB) and not the highest quality screen. Time battery life The device will not please us either, the battery is designed for only 2,000 milliamps per hour. But the communication capabilities of the Alcatel POP 2 5042D are fine. Nevertheless, who will look at the set of communications if they will not allow you to use the device for a long time? But first things first.

Display

It's safe to say that the screen is the part of the smartphone where you encounter the most noticeable paradox. On the one hand, the Alcatel POP 2 5042D is equipped with a TFT matrix, which today has the worst display quality. It is easily overtaken by IPS, but we don’t even have to talk about AMOLED and S-AMOLED.

Basic indicators

So, POP 2 5042D has a screen resolution of 480 by 854 pixels with a diagonal of 4.5 inches. Calculations indicate that the pixel density is 240 pixels per inch. If the manufacturer installed an IPS matrix in the screen rather than a TFT one, this would be noticeable progress and could greatly change the rating of the device. Nevertheless, the TFT matrix, or rather its installation, is a kind of payment here for the low cost of the device. Actually, there is another justification for using TFT: low battery capacity. Such a matrix will consume charge more efficiently than the same IPS.

Color rendition

It is pleasantly surprising that the screen does not give off excessively blue tints, as is the case with many budget solutions. In general, the color rendering of the POP 2 5042D is good; it is good level. There is an almost crystal clear white color here, for which I would like to thank the developers. And this is even at low brightness levels. Yes, of course, there were some errors. For example, in small text you may notice blurring of fine lines, and when you turn the device into a vertical plane, the color scheme will be distorted. But can the opponents of the Alcatel One Touch POP 2 5042D, belonging to the same price category, boast anything else? Hardly.

Additional modules and functions

The Alcatel smartphone is also equipped with a light sensor that will allow you to adjust the screen backlight level automatically. Considering that not all models costing seven thousand rubles have this function (and even those costing ten thousand rubles, oddly enough), you can be happy about such a set. By the way, the Alcatel smartphone changes the brightness level without any jerks, doing everything softly, smoothly and gradually.

The developers have added a rather interesting solution to the device. Like Lumiya, the device can be either woken up from sleep mode or brought back into sleep mode by double tapping the display. When you “awaken” it will immediately open main screen, and the lockscreen will be skipped. The same can be done exactly the opposite.

Camera

Alcatel POP 2 5042D, the price of which is about five thousand Russian rubles, is equipped with two cameras. The main one has a resolution of five megapixels. The front one is more modest, only two megapixels. The main module is complemented by the function of automatic focusing on the subject, and there is an LED flash. However, you shouldn’t place a huge bet on it, since it copes with its tasks (due to low power) very, very mediocrely.

Inconsistencies

By the way, problems were identified with the front camera. The previously provided information about two megapixels was received from developers and company officials. However, multiple tests carried out using a special software, showed that there is only 0.3 MP. We won’t notice any special settings, there are only two of them: activating/turning off the night mode and creating four photos in a row. The compression algorithm is good and allows you to save space on your phone. It is possible that the company initially planned from 0.3 to 2 megapixels, but for some reason decided not to do this. For those who are not experienced in selfies, the result will still be acceptable.

What about the main camera?

The Alcatel POP 2 5042D, the firmware for which will optimize the operation of the operating system, has a fairly good main camera. Despite its five megapixels, in good lighting it produces really high-quality images. In parallel with how the light level drops, the quality will also deteriorate, but this seems quite logical. Auto Focus It works not only quickly, but also competently, it won’t be possible to undermine the process or results.

Software part

The work of software and hardware that corrects results in the creation of good pictures. Even without setting advanced settings, you can take high-quality photos in almost any type of lighting. When shooting faces, the user can enjoy a slight shift in the spectrum towards warmer tones. For other scenarios this parameter has almost no effect, so it can be assessed positively. There is a macro mode. It will not provide perfect results. Nevertheless, lovers of shooting flowers and other objects can safely count on it.

Macro

What can you say about photos with text? In principle, it is unlikely that you will be able to boast about any extraordinary achievements. But the necessary level is still present. If you take a photo of an A4 page, the text on it will be easy to read even without special scaling. However, readability will decrease in proportion to the reduction in letter size. Alcatel POP 2 5042D, the characteristics of which are listed at the beginning of the review, does not allow good shooting at night. Even though it has flash. Its only sensible purpose is to use it as a flashlight.

Practical use

If you are an active user, then you will definitely have to purchase a case for the Alcatel POP 2 5042D, so as not to damage the case and not wash the coating. We have already talked about the operation of the display, so there is no point in repeating ourselves. You can look at the topic of communications, which will probably be more interesting for those who are planning to use a smartphone for its intended purpose. That is, actively communicate in in social networks, browse the Internet and call your loved ones.

So, on the cellular network fourth generation The device works quite quickly. It immediately “clings” to the coating. Considering the price of the device, this is even a little surprising in a pleasant way, of course. The signal indicator shows impressive information. In general, the device switches from the third to the fourth generation and back very quickly. And it really makes me happy. It is clear that in this case there can be no complaints about the quality of data transmission. No problem here.

Wireless networks and speakers

The sensitivity of the Wi-Fi module is at a high level, there are no complaints about it. I was pleased with the fast and accurate operation of the GPS. There is an A-GPS add-on, which once again makes it easier to work with satellite maps of the area. Coupled with a good “hook” of the smartphone for the coverage of cellular networks, these parameters provide an excellent opportunity to use the device as a communicator. The radio part was done superbly, you can’t argue with that.

As for the sound, this part of the subject of our today's review is the very fly in the ointment. It becomes a kind of rehabilitation. The multimedia speaker is far from perfect. Hissing and crackling - these are its main shortcomings. There is nothing else to highlight, but this “sweet couple” is enough, as they say, for the eyes. Probably, Alcatel should have gone in this direction with an eye on the ingenious solutions of the Beeline company, where there is no multimedia speaker, and its role is played by a universal auditory speaker.

Mobile devices from Alcatel have not previously been particularly popular. After a while, the situation changed little, and the company decided to release a model that would be in demand. Thus, Alcatel One Touch POP 3 5025D was presented with attractive characteristics and an equally interesting price. Of course, this is not the first budget smartphone model from Alcatel, it’s just that this particular model is capable of arousing the interest of a user who expects to purchase a good smartphone within $100. Alcatel POP 3 appeared on store shelves in the fall of 2015, and is sold at a price of 110 USD (price indicated at the time of writing the review).

Appearance The device is simple and concise, but consistent modern trends. The body is made of plastic and assembled well. Some users note that the volume rocker and power button are located very well, they are easy to reach, given the dimensions of the case due to the large display.

Specifications Alcatel One Touch POP 3 5025D

The technical capabilities of the smartphone correspond to the minimum required to solve most problems. modern users mobile devices.

CPU

The processor is a 4-core MediaTek MT6580 (1.3 GHz). Video chip - Mali-400 MP2. The smartphone demonstrates how it works good performance, which is sufficient for fast work applications. Almost all games that require hardware can run, however, for smooth operation it is necessary to reduce the picture quality. For example, GTA: SA runs stably at medium graphics settings. In the synthetic AnTuTu test, the Alcatel POP 3 5025D scores 20 thousand points.

Memory

The amount of RAM is 1 GB. For this price expect something more this moment It is not necessary, however, such a volume is enough for not particularly demanding users. The volume of the main drive for storing data and installing applications is 8 GB. More than 4 GB is available for use - there is more than enough memory for applications, and there will be room for “heavy” games. Support for memory cards up to 128 GB is declared.

Battery

A 2910 mAh battery allows the smartphone owner to stay connected all day. Despite the fact that the device does not belong to the “long-livers” category, most owners speak positively about its autonomy. It is also noted that Alcatel POP 3 charges faster than other smartphones with a battery of similar capacity.

The charge is enough for one day of normal use, and about 5 hours of continuous video playback. Enabling the energy-saving mode allows you to extend the device's standby time to 3-4 hours.

Camera

You won't be able to take serious pictures using the device. The 8 MP camera allows you to take more or less passable pictures in good daylight. In other cases, everything is sad. Autofocus is slow, even very slow. The video is recorded in FHD (1080p) format, and its quality is also not particularly stellar. The camera cannot be added to the list of shortcomings, since it fully corresponds to the price category of the smartphone.

But the 5 MP front camera allows you to take not the worst portrait photos, and is well suited for video conferencing.

Display

The 5.5-inch display is the main pride of the Alcatel POP 3 5025D smartphone. IPS matrix, bright colors and good viewing angles are successfully complemented by a decent resolution of 1280 x 720. Of course, the display is not protected by damage-resistant glass, does not have anti-glare and other “premium” properties. However, it performs its functions unquestioningly and is well suited for web surfing, watching videos, playing games, etc.

Networking capabilities

A smartphone with 2 SIM cards can operate in 2G/3G networks. Has support for GPS navigation and A-GPS technology. Can be used as a navigator, since it finds satellites quite quickly.

Sound

The main speaker sound is relatively good and the sound is quite loud. As for the earpiece speaker, some users may have a model with a quiet or echoy speaker. However, the percentage of such cases is small; it is necessary to test the device before purchasing.

operating system

Alcatel POP 3 runs on Android version 5.1 Lollipop. Apart from the fact that the OS is quite fresh, there is nothing remarkable in the software part.

Pros and cons of Alcatel One Touch POP 3 5025D

pros

  • Display. Perhaps the only pride of a smartphone;
  • The price is reasonable and, in principle, corresponds to the capabilities of the device.

Minuses

  • The speaker may not be loud enough in some units;
  • The microphone has low sensitivity. You will have to speak louder than usual so that the interlocutor can hear clearly;
  • The proximity sensor does not always work correctly, therefore, when placing the phone to the ear, the user runs the risk of involuntarily pressing something.

Our review of the Alcatel POP 3 smartphone

As it turns out, the smartphone is “not without sin.” Judging by the review, it has some shortcomings that may put off a potential buyer, however, these shortcomings are not critical for everyone. The disadvantages of a smartphone concern mainly the part that is associated with telephone conversations, so it is not suitable for frequent and important negotiations. However, Alcatel POP 3 5025D - a good choice for those who need a budget device with large display, and normal performance.

Contents of delivery:

Introduction

Alcatel has lines mobile phones: IDOL, POP and HERO. In addition, for example, in POP, there are, let’s say, subsections POP S and POP C. The first are relatively expensive devices, and the second are budget, but the larger the number at the end, the cooler the gadget. In this case we will consider POP C9, i.e. the device that currently stands at the head of the POP Cx subsection.

Design, dimensions, control elements

Despite the bright design of Alcatel POP C9 smartphones, in general the devices have the typical “average” design of all phablets: large sizes, rounded shapes, a lot of plastic and chrome inserts along the edges, beloved by all manufacturers. The gadget resembles some Samsung, Fly, and Huawei, and is practically no different from POP C7.

Dimensions POP C9 – 150.95 x 77.5 x 9.5mm, i.e. not at all small and thin. But what is most surprising is the weight - almost 190 grams. I had a metal 6-inch monster Explay Diamond for review; it weighed 185 grams. It looks like there is a lead battery inside the C9. Joke. The frames on the right and left are relatively thick – 5 mm each, so it doesn’t feel as comfortable in the hand as we would like. However, thanks to the sloping edges, the ergonomics of the design are slightly improved.


The front side is covered with glass. It is durable, and during testing there were only micro scratches on it. It is necessary to take into account that the smartphone “lived” in a backpack with other devices. The inside has a white lining. The surface of the display is not too easily soiled; apparently, there is an oleophobic coating; the finger glides without problems.


The edging, as I said earlier, is made of chrome-plated plastic and rises slightly above the screen, thereby partially protecting the surface. The back cover is non-removable, white, glossy. It seemed slippery to me. Fingerprints remain on it, but are not particularly noticeable.


The company's website states that POP C9 is available in several colors: pink, red, blue, white, black, gray. However, as always happens with new models, firstly, the smartphone is sold only in two networks cellular communication, secondly, there is only a gray device.


The POP C9 is assembled perfectly: no creaking, no play, you can feel the solidity of the body. When you squeeze it in your hand, the phone body does not crunch; when you press on the back central area, the cover does not press down to the battery.


On top there is a speech speaker. The volume is slightly above average, in noisy places it may be difficult to hear, especially in the subway; on the street you have to turn the volume up to maximum. The timbre is pleasant, not booming, the interlocutor can be heard clearly and legibly. There is no echo. In general, quite good speaker, but I would like the volume a little higher.


To the left of the speaker is the front camera, to the right are the light and proximity sensors, they work correctly.

At the bottom are the usual Back, Home and Menu buttons. There is no backlight, so the buttons are difficult to see at night.

At the bottom end there is a micro-USB and the main microphone, at the top there is a 3.5 mm audio output for headphones or a headset.

The power button is located on the right edge just below center. It is practically recessed into the body, the pressure is soft, the stroke is small. The volume rocker key is the same type, it is slightly higher. Even higher is a slot for a memory card. It is closed with a plastic plug.



Two slots for SIM cards are located on the left edge under a plastic plug.


The connectors are microSIM type, both slots operate in 3G, but SIM cards operate according to the following scheme: 3G-SIM1 / 2G-SIM2 or 2G-SIM1 / 3G-SIM2. Switching between 2G/3G takes about 10 seconds, which means you won't be able to switch quickly.

On the back of the POP C9: a second microphone, a camera that rises a couple of millimeters above the body and is framed by a chrome-plated plastic rim, a flash and a speakerphone.

Comparative dimensions:


Alcatel and LG Flex


Alcatel and Samsung Galaxy Note II


Display

Manufacturers still won’t calm down, so they use huge screen diagonals in almost every second of their products. IN Alcatel OneTouch POP C9 has a display with a diagonal of 5.5 inches (139 mm). Physical size – 69x121 mm, frame on top – 11 mm, and bottom – 18 mm.

A resolution of 540x960 pixels for such a diagonal, it seems to me, is not enough, although the picture looks good, and pixelation at a distance of 30-40 cm is invisible. Density – 200 pixels per inch.

The brightness of the display matrix backlight is adjusted either manually or automatically. The range is relatively wide, but at minimum brightness the glow is still large. The maximum brightness is enough for comfortable reading outdoors; in the sun, only the 5.5-inch diagonal saves the screen.

The matrix is ​​made according to IPS technology, unfortunately, not OGS: there is an air gap between the protective glass and the screen. Color rendition is natural, saturation is calm. The viewing angles are wide, but at certain angles the color rendition is disrupted: it either turns blue or yellow. In general, typical behavior of inexpensive IPS matrices.

The capacitive touch layer handles up to 5 simultaneous touches. The sensitivity is not bad.

White color

Black color


Viewing angles and color rendering

Battery

This model uses a lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery with a capacity of 2500 mAh. The battery is not removable.

The manufacturer indicates its data on the “life” of the battery, which I believe, since our results were approximately the same:

  • Talk time: up to 8 hours (2G), 4 hours (3G)
  • Standby time: 560 hours (2G), 550 hours (3G)
  • operating time in music player mode: 24 hours

In 720p video playback mode, the device worked for about 5 hours. The average time is approximately 10-12 hours without active use of 3G.

The device charges in about 3.5 hours.

In the settings there is an item called “Super Energy Saving”. It is very similar to the functions in HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5. When almost all applications are turned off, the brightness of the matrix backlight decreases, and only the main ones become available to you: SMS, calls, calendar, address book. Alcatel works in this mode for about 3 days.

Communication capabilities

The smartphone operates in 2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (850/900/1800//2100 MHz) cellular networks.

Available Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transfer. Present wireless connection Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The device, of course, can be used as an access point ( Wi-Fi Hotspot) or modem.

The device has GPS. In “cold” mode, the first satellites are identified in less than one minute, in “hot” mode – three times faster. Sensitivity is average: indoors it can hardly find a couple of satellites, near a window - up to 4, outdoors the device instantly finds more than 8 satellites. I didn’t notice any problems with GPS, everything works fine.

Memory and memory card

There is 1 GB of RAM installed inside. On average, just under 600 MB is free. 4 GB are allocated for data storage, of course, about two are free. There is a slot for a memory card. The maximum volume is 32 GB.

Camera

As befits a real “Android”, the Alcatel C9 has two cameras: the main one is 8 MP, the front one is 1.3 MP (the official website states that it is 2 MP). There is a small LED flash.

The quality of the camera is mediocre, mainly complaints about color reproduction and narrow dynamic range. It is worth praising the camera for its precise focus, for its minimum focusing distance of about 7 cm, and for its excellent background blur thanks to the F2.2 aperture.

Front-camera takes photos in a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. The quality is not bad. Video – 640x480 pixels at 10 fps.

The camera can record FullHD video at 30 frames per second, which is good news. Autofocus is very fast, focuses from 3 cm, the sharpness is decent. The sound is mono, clear.

EXIF information

Video file characteristics:

  • File Format: 3GP
  • Video codec: AVC, 17 Mbit/s
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080, 30 fps
  • Audio codec: AAC, 128 Kbps
  • Channels: 1 channel, 48 kHz

Photo examples:

Example photo with front camera:

Performance and Software Platform

Most of these devices have a Taiwanese MediaTek chip. The Alcatel OneTouch C9 smartphone is no exception. It uses the MT6582 chipset, the most common among state employees lately: Cortex-A7 processor, 28 nm, 4 cores at 1.3 GHz, Mali-400MP2 graphics accelerator with a clock frequency of 400 MHz.

For comfortable operation of the device, this processor is more than enough. There are problems with games, but only with powerful ones like Asphalt 8. The device does not glitch, does not slow down, and works relatively smoothly.

Brief information about the phone's parameters and performance tests (Quadrant Test, Antutu Test):

The device is equipped with the ancient Google Android operating system version 4.2.2. I'm not sure that 4.3 will be released, much less 4.4. Although I personally don’t see any point in them, especially in inexpensive gadgets. The corporate shell is essentially absent here. The main screen icons, settings and unlocking of the display have been slightly changed (the “unlock” button “floats” in a circle, which needs to be moved to the sides).

Multimedia

The device has a standard music and video player and radio. The speaker volume is slightly above average, but I didn’t like the quality: it wheezes, there is overload, the sound is not very clear. The sound in the headphones is high volume, the quality is good, there are no complaints. The device plays video in FullHD resolution.

Conclusion

Today Alcatel OneTouch POP C9 can be found in two mobile phone stores at the same price - 7,990 rubles. It is very difficult to draw conclusions on such inexpensive devices, because you can’t tell anything interesting about them. All parameters of the C9 are average: processor, memory, camera, software features. The appearance is also ordinary, in addition, the device is only available in gray.

pros:

  • Great build
  • Good battery life
  • Good quality video, cool macro photography
  • IPS matrix
  • Both SIM card slots work in 3G

Minuses:

  • Large dimensions and heavy weight
  • The speaker wheezes a little at maximum volume
  • Low screen resolution

Characteristics:

  • Class: smartphone
  • Form factor: monoblock
  • Case materials: plastic
  • operating system: Google Android 4.2.2
  • Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS
  • Processor: quad core, 1300 MHz, MTK6582
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Data storage memory: 4 GB
  • Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset
  • Screen: capacitive, IPS 5.5"" with a resolution of 540x960 pixels
  • Camera: 8 MP autofocus + 1.3 MP, flash
  • Navigation: GPS
  • Additionally: accelerometer, proximity sensors, FM radio
  • Battery: non-removable, capacity 2500 mAh
  • Dimensions: 150.95 x 77.5 x 9.5mm
  • Weight: 189 g
  • Price: from 7,990 rubles (Q2 2014)

Specifications

  • Android 6.0.1
  • Screen 5.5 inches, 1280x720 pixels, IPS, automatic brightness adjustment
  • Li-Ion 2500 mAh battery, talk time up to 15 hours (3G), standby time up to 500 hours (3G)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 MSM8909 chipset, quad-core (4 cores up to 1.1 GHz), Adreno 304 GPU
  • 1.5 GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, memory cards up to 32 GB
  • Front camera 5 megapixels, flash, main camera 8 megapixels, f/2.0
  • Up to two SIM cards (microSIM)
  • FM radio
  • Bluetooth 4.1 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, LTE cat. 4 (band 1/3/7/8/20/28A)
  • Dimensions – 151x77x7.9 mm, weight – 156 grams

Contents of delivery

  • Telephone
  • Charger with USB cable (5V, 2A)
  • Wired stereo headset
  • Instructions

Positioning

The POP line is inexpensive smartphones, and in different price categories, these are not always devices with the first price on the market. The company tries to make such devices attractive, but the filling almost always gives away their budget origin. The POP line already has a model with index 4, this is POP 4s, which is positioned higher and has a number of advantages, for example, a fingerprint sensor, a screen with best resolution and so on. But the price is also 60-70% higher, which takes this product to another level.

In POP 4 Plus, despite the deceptive name, we see a budget phablet in which we have saved as much as possible on the filling. It's worth it here budget processor, although the amount of built-in memory is large for such solutions, which may confuse and confuse someone. This is not a completely balanced solution; it is entirely woven from compromises. In many ways, it was created in order to stand out from the mass of similar products. For example, people, when choosing a phablet in the segment under 10,000 rubles, will look at the amount of built-in memory and realize that there is 16 GB, and not 8 GB, as on many other solutions. And what will this mean? What they will pay attention to is POP 4 Plus. And, perhaps, they will turn a blind eye to other details of this device. In short, a model consisting of compromises that are quite acceptable in this price group.

In my opinion, this device should be considered as a budget offer in the phablet segment, although the number of such models and their diversity remains very small in the segment under 10,000 rubles. The main thing here is to decide how much you need such a screen diagonal and whether it’s worth looking at 5-inch devices that offer a noticeable leap in performance and hardware.

Design, dimensions, control elements

We are accustomed to the fact that smartphones are increasingly non-separable; the case cannot be opened. In POP 4S Plus, the back cover is easily removed, and inside there is a slot for a memory card, as well as two slots for SIM cards (microSIM). The battery is made non-removable, so it cannot be removed. Based on this, the collapsible body cannot be considered either a plus or a minus; let’s consider it simply a design feature.



As usual, the model will be available in different colors, including some very bright ones, but by default it looks the same as in our review. In Russia, dark gray and silver cases are available.


The device fits well in the hand, but at the same time it is large and is not suitable for everyone; in the phablet category this is always one of the conditional criticisms (151x77x7.9 mm, weight 156 grams).


The quality of the plastic and design is excellent, but it is plastic, there is no metal. Thus, the side edging has a metal insert, but analogues in this segment have both all-metal cases and metal frames, as in the Samsung J7 2016. This makes the POP 4S not so attractive for those who eat into details and want to get the most possible for your money.






The microUSB connector is located on the bottom end, and on the right side there is a paired volume key, as well as an on/off button. The 3.5 mm jack is on the top end. The assembly is excellent, which is typical for Alcatel.

Display

Based on the characteristics, we have a regular IPS display with a diagonal of 5.5 inches, HD resolution and automatic backlight brightness adjustment. The screen does not have any special features, but it should be noted that it is budget-friendly; in bright sunlight it can fade and glare, making the picture difficult to see. This is a typical budget solution with all the ensuing consequences; if you are looking for a high-quality screen for watching video, then in this price group and with such a diagonal it will be difficult to find one.


Battery

The device is capable of working for one full day at an average load, at most 1.5-2 days, if you hardly use the device. Capacity Li-Ion battery– 2500 mAh. The stated operating time in standby mode is up to 500 hours, in talk mode – up to 15 hours.

Continuous video playback time is 5.5 hours.

The device has a built-in utility for limiting power consumption (disables certain functions); it turns on by default when the charge reaches 15%. Also appeared “Battery Optimization”, in fact this is a limitation background work applications, you can add or remove them from the list; we see something similar on Samsung flagships.

Full battery charging time is about 100 minutes.

Memory, RAM, hardware platform

The device has 1.5 GB of RAM, 16 GB of built-in memory (the system and applications take up about 5 GB), plus you can install memory cards up to 32 GB.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 MSM8909 chipset, 4-core (4 cores up to 1.1 GHz), Adreno 304 GPU. The performance of this solution is low, as can be seen in synthetic tests. But in everyday life, you won’t notice this in the menu, everything works quite quickly, there are no freezes. This correlates well with the fact that budget solutions on Android 6 work quickly.

Camera

The front camera has a flash for selfies and its resolution is 5 megapixels. Standard for last generations There are devices that improve skin, facial contours and similar little things. They can be disabled. The quality of the photos is good.





The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. The quality of the pictures is not perfect, but it’s hard to expect anything else.

Communication capabilities

The model supports 4G (LTE FDD 1/3/7/8/20), also has Wi-Fi, BT 4.1, USB & BT Modem Tethering - in a word, a standard set of technologies, without any special features.

Software features

About standard applications There is no point in talking about Android separately; you can read about them in a separate review.

Alcatel tries not to change the standard Android much, but still brings its own changes, including on Android 6. In the main menu mode, the icons have a circle, and when pressed, a mini-window opens. If you want to open the entire application, click on the button again.

The phone has FM radio, the set of functions is typical. Voice recorder, calculator, compass, and built-in memory manager.

“Mix” has been introduced as a music application; in it you can not only listen to music, but also mix it, apply different effects, just turn the device into a horizontal orientation. Is this necessary? For young people, such entertainment may be suitable, but this is a toy that should not be overestimated; you will not be able to turn into a DJ with it, although the idea of ​​​​this can be formed. Unlike the older IDOL, there are no separate equalizers and sound control is implemented more poorly. And the device sounds simpler, the sound is worse.

There is also a branded screen with various news, exchange rates and applications, you can customize it as you wish.

Impression

There are no complaints about the quality of voice transmission, the call volume is very good, it is clear and loud. The vibration alert is average in strength.

The model is sold at a price from 8.5 to 10 thousand rubles. If you try to find an analogue in terms of cost and characteristics, then there will be a slight hitch. There is Micromax Canvas Spark 3 Q385 on the market, which has a similar screen, but it is built on a processor from Spreadtrum, does not support 4G, on the old Android versions and does not ask to be a competitor, although it costs 8,000 rubles.

Old Lenovo A7000, does not have new version Android, it has less built-in memory, but 2 GB of RAM and a slightly larger battery. But it’s definitely not worth taking this old man in 2016; in two years it has become outdated.

In my opinion, if you are not afraid of a lack of warranty, then in this segment it is worth looking at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, which in China costs about 11 thousand rubles, in Russia it can be found for 12,000 rubles.


In every sense, this is a device that is head and shoulders above the one under consideration, and offers a completely different level of comfort and workmanship. But if we talk about POP 4 Plus, no one is betting huge on it; it is a niche model that has a modest sales volume. Oddly enough, it has no direct competitors, either due to the unpopularity of phablets from B-brands, or because people prefer 5 inches for 10,000 rubles.